What Causes Dog Allergies and What to Do about Them

Dog allergies are something that dog owners really struggle with. Some people have just tried everything and still their little doggies are scratching and biting and you are seeing nasty spots of raw skin. Let’s face it, when our dogs are uncomfortable it really makes us sad.

Our dogs do so much for us. They are there when we get back from work at night, wagging their tails, they are there to accompany you when you are lonely and they are always ready to jump next to you on the sofa and give you a bit of love. The least we can do, is attend to their needs when they seem as if they are in some sort of pain or they are uncomfortable.

If we knew what the exact cause of every single allergy was, then our dogs would be a lot better off, but unfortunately not the case. However, as time has gone passed, a lot of research has been done in this area and vetinarians have a better understanding of what most of these allergies are and what to do about them.

What to do for dog allergies

You have to learn to control the allergies. This is a life-long commitment, which you have to help your pet with. It can’t be cured once and for all so you have to make sure that he is either eating a healthy diet or he is taking the prescribed medication.

Common dog allergies to take note of

Some dogs are allergic to fleas, which as you can imagine can be a big problem. Skin problems start to develop and you will see your dog scratching a lot. This can be cured with an aggressive dose of flea treatment and then you will be able to medicate him once a month.

Itching can also be caused by things like dust, mite, pollen and mould, which you can’t do anything about in the environment, but your vet will be able to give you something to help with the skin problems.

Some dogs will come up with infections and this is different from allergies. It may be something bacterial like a yeast infection. It could be something that comes up once in a while, which is not that serious. It may be something that they have picked up from another animal so this is different.

Serious symptoms to watch out for

Concentrate the food you buy

Food is the number one allergy, which dogs are affected by. You can understand this since you are never sure what exactly goes into a tin or bag of food. As for dog treats, more and more people are making these in the comfort of their own kitchen. You may even find that making your own food has not solved the problem and this is where you have to go through with the process of elimination, which requires some level of patience.

Dog food made by you is a really good idea because of the ingredients that go into a good bowl of food, your pooch is benefiting a great deal. He is eating left over veggies and some chopped up meat that you may not be eating. There are no preservative or additives in here.

You can buy ready-made dog food if you find that this is too much for you to handle, but making your own treats is not difficult. These can be frozen for up to 6 months and making a couple of batches at a time means that you will find it goes not only quickly, but you will be saving tons of money in the process as well.

You may see your dog squinting with red, itchy eyes. If they are looking like they have a watery discharge then it may be a sign leading to follicular conjunctivitis, which is an eye allergy. This is mostly associated with inhalant issues like pollen.

If it gets really bad your little fella may start coughing and sneezing and even have a decreased appetite. When you see symptoms like these you should head off to the vet immediately because this could be mistaken for glaucoma, which is often mistaken for this allergy because the symptoms are very similar and owners just play it down.